Players Under Buzz Williams Who Have Made It To The NBA?

[MUWarriorBBall]

Wesley Matthews
Jerel McNeal (10-day contract)
Lazar Hayward
Jimmy Butler
and...soon to be Darius Johnson-Odom

Anyone else did I miss?

[Nukem2]

Possibly Crowder and Wilson at some point...    And Blue, if he fixes his shooting form.

[Freeport Warrior]

And Blue, if he fixes his shooting form.

Maybe I'm in the vast minority, but I don't get all the hype around Blue.

[g0lden3agle]

Maybe I'm in the vast minority, but I don't get all the hype around Blue.

Raw athleticism with the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.  Already established as one of the better defenders on our team.  If the game slows down for him he can be very good in the coming years.

[Marqus Howard]

I think Crowder has a better shot of making it to the association than DJO, simply because of DJO's size. Hopefully they both make it though

[Freeport Warrior]

Raw athleticism with the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.  Already established as one of the better defenders on our team.  If the game slows down for him he can be very good in the coming years.

I get the athleticism, but take away his drive -- which they did once we started BE play -- and he offered hardly anything on the offensive front. He played hot potato on the outside most of the second half of the year. Saw him this summer and his shot is still inconsistent. I also think his D was over-rated and average.

I'm not "hating" on the kid, I just think the rest of the guys listed here had something noticeably special from the outset that I personally don't see with Blue. I think he can be good, but DJames was good. NBA is another level entirely. Maybe it's a freshman thing and hopefully I am wrong.

[MUMac]

I get the athleticism, but take away his drive -- which they did once we started BE play -- and he offered hardly anything on the offensive front. He played hot potato on the outside most of the second half of the year. Saw him this summer and his shot is still inconsistent. I also think his D was over-rated and average.

I'm not "hating" on the kid, I just think the rest of the guys listed here had something noticeably special from the outset that I personally don't see with Blue. I think he can be good, but DJames was good. NBA is another level entirely. Maybe it's a freshman thing and hopefully I am wrong.

If you watched him in HS, his game really translated.  An injury changed his shot some.  Last year, IMHO, he lost his confidence on the offensive end.  If he can get back to the old form, he will be awfully fun to watch.

[uncle zeffy]

If you count his time as an assistant at TAMU, Antonie Wright, & Acie Law IV

[dw3dw3dw3]

I'm with ya on Blue, his athleticism is over hyped a little too, at least when it comes to be able to elevate in the paint and body control.  Jerel and Wade, both who couldn't shoot to start, had the ability to finish against bigger players from the start, don't see that with Blue. With the recruits coming in, I can see him never really starting unless he finds a niche as a defensive stopper and we become loaded at the other 4 positions. There are a ton of players who average 20 in high school and it doesn't translate. I'm not holding on to that dream of him regaining his high school form.

[brewcity77]

I get the athleticism, but take away his drive -- which they did once we started BE play -- and he offered hardly anything on the offensive front. He played hot potato on the outside most of the second half of the year. Saw him this summer and his shot is still inconsistent. I also think his D was over-rated and average.

I'm not "hating" on the kid, I just think the rest of the guys listed here had something noticeably special from the outset that I personally don't see with Blue. I think he can be good, but DJames was good. NBA is another level entirely. Maybe it's a freshman thing and hopefully I am wrong.

If he can develop a reliable jumper, he can be NBA quality. The drive and athleticism are both good enough. The reason his drive was easy to take away is because he didn't have any other weapon. The shot just wasn't there. Give him spot-up range to 18 feet and a decent 8-12 foot pull-up and he is a completely different player on offense. He doesn't even have to be a consistent 3-point shooter.

Of course, if he doesn't fix his shooting, he'll never get there. I do think his defense is good enough, and most important, he's willing to work on being a defensive stopper, but you need at least some semblance of usefulness on offense, and without some measure of jumper, he doesn't have it.

[muhs03]

What would be more interesting is where does MU fall in comparison to other BE programs over the same period of time and where do the players fall in the draft. Lottery pick success is hugely important to blue chippers.

[oldwarrior81]

here's a list of BEast players that played in the NBA last season:

11- UConn:          Adrien, Allen, Armstrong, Butler, Gay, Gordon, Hamilton, Okafor, Price, Thabeet, Villanueva
7- Syracuse:       Anthony, Flynn, Greene, Johnson, Rautins, Thomas, Warrick
5- Georgetown:    Ewing, Green, Hibbert, Monroe, Summers
4- Louisville:       Clark, Garcia, Samuels, Williams
4- Marquette:     Hayward, Matthews, Novak, Wade
4- Notre Dame:    Carroll, Harangody, Murphy, Quinn
4- Villanova:       Allen, Cunningham, Foye, Lowry
3- Cincinnati:      Martin, Maxiell, Stephenson
3- DePaul:          Chandler, Richardson, Simmons
3- Pittsburgh:      Blair, Gray, Young
2- South Florida:  Jones, Jones
1- Providence:     Gomes
1- Rutgers:         N'Diaye
1- St. John's:       Artest
1- Seton Hall:      Dalembert
1- West Virginia:  Ebanks

I would think with Wade's star-power, Marquette probably only ranks behind UConn and Syracuse for producing NBA talent.

[muhs03]

Interesting. Seems like that list is close to the actual recruiting clout of each program with the exception of Pitt. Plenty of early-entrants into the NBA from UConn, Cuse and GTown. After that, there are virtually no early entrants.

Looking forward, its the same thing. UConn has Daniels, Lamb and Drummond that will leave early. Syracuse has a few debatable talents in CJ Fair, Dion Waiters, Fab Melo and Rakeem Christmas.

[brewcity77]

here's a list of BEast players that played in the NBA last season:

11- UConn:          Adrien, Allen, Armstrong, Butler, Gay, Gordon, Hamilton, Okafor, Price, Thabeet, Villanueva
7- Syracuse:       Anthony, Flynn, Greene, Johnson, Rautins, Thomas, Warrick
5- Georgetown:    Ewing, Green, Hibbert, Monroe, Summers
4- Louisville:       Clark, Garcia, Samuels, Williams
4- Marquette:     Hayward, Matthews, Novak, Wade
4- Notre Dame:    Carroll, Harangody, Murphy, Quinn
4- Villanova:       Allen, Cunningham, Foye, Lowry
3- Cincinnati:      Martin, Maxiell, Stephenson
3- DePaul:          Chandler, Richardson, Simmons
3- Pittsburgh:      Blair, Gray, Young
2- South Florida:  Jones, Jones
1- Providence:     Gomes
1- Rutgers:         N'Diaye
1- St. John's:       Artest
1- Seton Hall:      Dalembert
1- West Virginia:  Ebanks

I would think with Wade's star-power, Marquette probably only ranks behind UConn and Syracuse for producing NBA talent.

Nice list

If not for wanting a sure-fire starting job, Diener would have been on that list too, and I imagine that McNeil's play in the D-League might give him a shot in the next couple seasons. I think that within 2-3 years, we'll be even with Syracuse. I fully expect DJO to play in the league, possibly Crowder, and likely another couple guys on the current roster.

[muhs03]

Nice list

If not for wanting a sure-fire starting job, Diener would have been on that list too, and I imagine that McNeil's play in the D-League might give him a shot in the next couple seasons. I think that within 2-3 years, we'll be even with Syracuse. I fully expect DJO to play in the league, possibly Crowder, and likely another couple guys on the current roster.

That might be wishful thinking. UConn and Syracuse contribute young lottery picks and it doesnt look like they are slowing down. We could get to GTown in a few years though. 

[brewcity77]

That might be wishful thinking. UConn and Syracuse contribute young lottery picks and it doesnt look like they are slowing down. We could get to GTown in a few years though.

I'm not saying we'll be a lottery machine, but I think Jerel will get to the league next year if there's a full season, I personally am very confident DJO will be drafted, and think Wilson will have a very good chance. Butler is also highly likely to play next year. That's four more right there, which would push us past Syracuse.

Crowder has a chance, though I don't see him making the first round. Blue or Jones seem to be rated well enough by scouting agencies, though they both need to prove a lot more to get there. Right now, I'd like the odds of Mayo and Anderson better.

[mug644]

I'm not saying we'll be a lottery machine, but I think Jerel will get to the league next year if there's a full season, I personally am very confident DJO will be drafted, and think Wilson will have a very good chance. Butler is also highly likely to play next year. That's four more right there, which would push us past Syracuse.

Crowder has a chance, though I don't see him making the first round. Blue or Jones seem to be rated well enough by scouting agencies, though they both need to prove a lot more to get there. Right now, I'd like the odds of Mayo and Anderson better.

That's ambitious, mentioning 7 players on this year's roster with the possibility of being in the NBA.

[bilsu]

I think DJO will get drafted. However, he will be a second rounder. Timing is everything. The lockout resulted in 3 or 4 lottery type picks forgoing this years draft. That benefited Butler who squeek into first round. Those 3 to 4 players entering next years draft will result in DJO being pushed to second round.

[MuMark]

Of course Syracuse also has 4 or 5 guys that could be drafted/make the league in the next few years as well which would keep them ahead of MU.

Rick Jackson, Triche, Joseph, Melo, Jardine all have at least some chance to make it. Mello obviously is a long way away at this point.

They also have a couple of highly thought of freshmen who could make the jump after a year or 2 if they have success.

[brewcity77]

Of course Syracuse also has 4 or 5 guys that could be drafted/make the league in the next few years as well which would keep them ahead of MU.

Rick Jackson, Triche, Joseph, Melo, Jardine all have at least some chance to make it. Mello obviously is a long way away at this point.

They also have a couple of highly thought of freshmen who could make the jump after a year or 2 if they have success.

Right now, I'd put better odds on their freshmen than Jardine. Jackson will have a shot, but it's tough for undrafted guys, the Wes Matthews of the world are very few and far between. Joseph I can see getting there, maybe Triche too. Jardine I just don't think is that good. He's well-regarded because he starts for Boeheim, but he hasn't impressed me. I'd be very surprised if he made the NBA. Melo...maybe, like Vander, needs to improve.

It'll be interesting to see, but I think that we'll separate to be top 3 within a few years, and right there with Syracuse.

[muhs03]

That's ambitious, mentioning 7 players on this year's roster with the possibility of being in the NBA.

Wowsers. That does seem a bit ambitious. I'd like the freshmen to play a scrimmage first before labeling them NBA material.

[brewcity77]

Wowsers. That does seem a bit ambitious. I'd like the freshmen to play a scrimmage first before labeling them NBA material.

I'm not saying they are. I do think DJO is NBA material. If Wilson is as good as reports and his Pro-Am play indicates, I think he also is. Crowder could be, but needs to have a Hayward-like season. Not impossible, but not easy and it will take a lot of work from him.

The four youngsters I mentioned (Blue, Jones, Anderson, Mayo) all may well have NBA potential, but that doesn't make them NBA material. Based on what I've seen so far, I only expect one of them to get there. But based on various sources, the thought seems to be that all four have a chance. Might be a small chance for some, but still a chance.